The Mage's Apprentice
by Cybercitizen
Summary: Elsa is a renowned ice mage, invited to be the mentor to young Princess Anna of Arendelle and be her bodyguard. However, she soon finds she may have bitten more off than she can chew, as Anna is far from being a model student. Will they learn to get along with one another? (Elsanna, Fantasy AU)


Elsa Frostborn rode on horseback through the snow-covered streets of Winterhold, casting a last look behind her at the Mage's College which had hitherto been her home. She had been called to the kingdom of Arendelle to serve as a teacher to the crown princess, and while she was grateful for the opportunity, she would miss living in the College.

Soon, she was riding along through the mountains, heading towards the ocean to the southwest, where Arendelle was situated.

It wouldn't be a far ride for her. Arendelle was in the same general region of where Winterhold was, the snowy, northern half of the world.

Elsa looked around again, seeing the faint outline of the College's great spire. She had never known a life outside of there before, having been discovered as a child with ice magic greater than any other mage currently known. She had then spent her life honing her skills and now she would pass them on to the princess of Arendelle.

She knew it probably sounded easy, but then she remembered the advice that Jack had given her about dealing with royals.

"The higher their class, the less they understand magic," she muttered, reciting Jack's words aloud.

Wise words indeed, words that Elsa would keep in her mind when dealing with the princess.

As she rode along the mountain path, eventually finding herself within an area of woodland, Elsa wondered if this was really the right way. Her tutors at the college had given her a map of her route before she left, but Elsa needed to know if it was right.

Taking out the map from her back pocket, Elsa examined it closely, seeing the red dotted line she had drawn on earlier to mark her journey to Arendelle.

From what she could gather, she was nearly halfway to the outskirts of the capital city, although the forest and mountains she was currently in would likely be the most difficult part of her trip.

"Well, no turning back now," she murmured to herself, tugging on her steed's reins and beginning to trot into the trees.

Darkness was starting to fall above her, the stars and aurora borealis faintly starting to fill the heavens, taking the place of the beautiful blue sky.

Elsa looked up, admiring the stars above her. As well as being very keen in honing her skills with her magic, she also had a deep interest in astrology. She believed that the stars represented the many divine beings that the religions of the world believed in.

She herself was fairly religious, believing her natural ice powers being the gift from some higher power when she was born.

To whom she was born to was another mystery of Elsa's. According to her teachers, she was found as a baby in a stable, her supposed parents nowhere to be found. Elsa hoped to one day learn who she truly was and to finally become complete as a person, rather than the mere student of the magic arts she believed herself to be.

When Elsa found herself arriving at a small hilltop, looking over another section of the icy forest, she took out her map again, wanting to make sure she wasn't lost in this wooden labyrinth.

Before she could make her bearings, however, she heard a noise from down below. It sounded like hooves dancing across the snow, following by the calling of wolves.

Looking down, Elsa could see a sleigh being pulled by a reindeer, torches illuminating the path in front of it. There appeared to be two people riding in the sleigh, trying to escape from a pack of hungry wolves chasing them down the path.

Elsa scowled. While she already had matters to attend to, she couldn't just let those innocent people be hurt by those wolves. She then climbed off her horse and held out her hands, icy and snow forming into a gust of wind in front of her.

With a flick of her wrist, the ice and snow formed an icy slide for Elsa, the blonde haired mage leaping onto it and riding along it down the mountain slopes, heading for the path below.

The wolves were catching up to the sleigh, its two passengers very much in danger.

Looking along the route of the path, Elsa could see it lead to a dead end. When the sleigh could go no further, Elsa decided to leap into action.

She pushed herself off the icy slide, flying through the air for a few seconds before landing with an icy gust in front of the sleigh, the wolves gathered in front of her.

Growling at her, the lead wolf, snarled and slid its front paws along the snow before her, its mouth open and full of razor-sharp teeth.

Elsa smirked, charging ice blasts in her hands. She then fired, creating massive blocks of ice in random directions to confuse the wolves.

The beasts were startled by the sudden icy and strange bright lights that bombarded them, several of the pack fleeing in terror, but the lead wolf then charged forward.

"Be careful!" A voice cried from behind Elsa, but she took no notice of it. She instead created an icy shield, using it to bash the wolf back as it leapt at her with its claws.

Elsa smacked the wolf backward, quickly conjuring an icy blade to go with her shield, pointing directly at the wolf. She glared at the beast, silently giving it an ultimatum. Flee and she might spare its life.

Whimpering like a pup, the wolf scurried off to join the rest of its comrades and Elsa melted her armaments, turning her attention to the people in the sleigh.

Now that she could get a clear look at the passengers, Elsa could see they were of a young man and woman. The woman looked younger than her, with strawberry blonde hair in two braids down the sides of her head and wearing a blue and pink winter dress with a cape, hat and mittens. The man seemed to be dressed in a grey coat and tunic, wearing a small hat. He had short, scruffy blonde hair and was much bulkier than the girl.

"Everything all right here?" Elsa inquired to the two of them.

"No thanks to you," The woman stated, slightly in awe of Elsa. "How the hell did you do all that stuff?"

"I'm an ice mage, miss," The blonde woman informed her. "And if I hadn't used my magic, you and your boyfriend here would have been like tender steaks to those wolves."

"Oh, I'm not her boyfriend," Kristoff excused. "She is actually into girls. I'm just a boy who happens to be her friend."

"Oh," Elsa stood corrected. "My apologies then." She then looked around, wondering how far she had trekked of her course to save these two in need. "Would any of you happen to know how to get to Arendelle from here by any chance?"

The young woman climbed out of the sleigh and walked towards Elsa. "Why would you want to know?"

Thinking for a moment, Elsa debated whether or not she should tell them the truth of her trip. After all, wouldn't the King of Arendelle wish to keep his daughter's tutor a secret? But she then knew that two people knowing before she got to Arendelle wouldn't do anyone any harm.

"I'm heading to Arendelle, my dear, to take up a position in the royal court," She then explained. "My name is Elsa Frostborn, I am to be the magic tutor for the crown princess."

The girl's eyes widened. "Well um... Miss Frostborn, I'm afraid you won't have far to look for the princess." She then bowed in respect. "I am Princess Anna of Arendelle, at your service."

Elsa raised her eyebrow in confusion. "Wait what? You are the princess?" She was quite surprised by that revelation.

"Yeah, and?" She remarked. "Not all princesses wear poofy dresses and dance with princes you know?" She giggled. "But I am thankful for you saving me, my dear. But, I will have you know that I do not need any tutoring."

"On the contrary, I feel a few lessons would do you a world of good," Elsa stated. "Especially if you plan on chasing wolves again."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Look, Elsa was it? We can discuss all this once we get back to my kingdom." She then gestured to the sleigh. "May we offer you a lift?"

"I wouldn't mind," Elsa agreed, climbing into the sleigh. "Thank you, by the way."

"Hey, anything for a weary traveller," Anna replied. She then nudged the blonde man's arm. "Hey Kristoff, time to get moving."

The man nodded, tugging the reins in his hands. "Hang on tight then!"

Elsa held the side of the sleigh as the reindeer in front pulled them forward, starting their long journey towards the kingdom of Arendelle, Anna's home.

xXx

A few hours later, the sleigh soon arrived outside the capital of Arendelle, with Elsa finally seeing her new home in full. The city was a rather small one, better described as more of a town more than anything else. There were markets, a large port where ships could dock on a large open fjord that gave way to the ocean. Across a small bridge, there was a large castle, where the royal family no doubt resided.

The castle was a rather old-fashioned looking building, taking inspiration from old Norse architecture. Elsa found it rather homely, but the princess currently sat beside her was looking away from it, slightly in disgust.

Elsa was curious as to why she seemed to be rejected her royal heritage, but didn't want to ask. After all, she had already felt that Anna wasn't exactly happy to see her.

Eventually, the sleigh pulled up into the castle stables and Anna and Elsa climbed out, walking into the courtyard. Anna turned around, smiling at Kristoff. "Thanks for the ride, big guy."

"No problem, but maybe next time when you wanna go somewhere, don't drag me into it," he joked. "I'm already late on my deliveries as it is."

"Deliveries?" Elsa wondered. "What exactly do you do, Kristoff?"

"I'm an ice harvester," Kristoff explained. "The royal ice harvester, to be specific."

Nudging Elsa's arm, Anna chimed in. "Kristoff was raised by the harvesters who live up near the frozen lakes. We've known each other since we were kids, when I went up there to build snowmen."

"I see," Elsa agreed, before bowing in respect to Kristoff. "Well, good sir, we shan't keep you occupied any longer." She looked at Anna. "If you would care to lead the way, Princess?"

"Um..." Anna nervously looked away. "Sure I guess," she then said in a rather enthusiastic voice.

Again, Elsa could sense a slight distaste from Anna. There was definitely some issue she had with her life here in the castle, but Elsa knew it wasn't her place to judge. Her only duties now were this girl's safety and ensuring her education in the magic arts.

Anna then led Elsa towards the castle, gently opening the door ajar. As she opened up the palace, a large white furry dog then tackled Anna, joined by a second, smaller puppy.

"Hey!" She giggled, being licked by both dogs. "Quit it you two! Yes, Yes, I missed you too."

Elsa couldn't help laughing as well. "And who are these two?"

Climbing to her feet and dusting herself off, Anna stroked the dogs' heads, running her hands through their fur. "These are my pets, Olaf and Marshmallow. They're brothers. Marshie's the big one, Olaf's the small one."

"I could have sworn they were father and son," Elsa admitted, petting the small pups head.

"Most people think that," Anna told her. "But Marshie just had a really big growth spurt when he was a few weeks old. No one knows why."

"They're rather cute," Elsa stated, picking Olaf up. She had never really had a pet before now. The closest she had was her dormmate Eilonwy having a pet ice dragon that she would occasionally feed.

As Elsa petted the pup more, she and Anna walked into the main entrance hall of the castle, The young ice mage admiring the many ornaments and carpeting of the room.

Not even the Mage's College had such decor as this. She felt a little jealous of Anna's life at that moment, being surrounded by all the luxury.

Before Elsa could comment on her surroundings, she and Anna were joined by the princess's parents, the King and Queen of Arendelle. The royals descended the steps, a concerned look on both of their faces.

"Anna!" The King exclaimed. "Where the devil have you been, girl?"

Anna sighed. "Sorry, Papa... I went out sleigh riding with Kristoff and we got a little... sidetracked." She then turned to Elsa. "But we did help bring this woman here."

"And who is this?" The king wondered, turning his gaze to Elsa.

Elsa then bowed before the king and queen, raising her robes in courtesy. "Your Majesties. I am Elsa Frosborn, High Mage of the College Of Winterhold. I have come as you requested, to be your daughter's bodyguard and mentor in the magic arts."

The Queen smiled, taking Elsa's hands. "Oh thank heavens you've finally come. We've been expecting you for some time."

Gesturing to Anna, the king looked at his daughter. "Anna, you should probably head to your room. I've already requested Gerda draw you a bath."

"Yes, Papa," Anna stated, before heading up the stairs to her room. Before she turned the corner, she looked back at Elsa, smiling at her. "I guess I'll see you soon then, Elsa."

Elsa waved the girl farewell, and she saw her head off to her room, her mother following behind her. Once the two women had left, the king to Elsa's arm and started to lead her up the steps.

The king seemed a rather kind man, with short honey-blonde hair and a thin moustache. From what Elsa could sense of him, he seemed caring and understanding, a man who clearly put others before him.

"It's good of you to have come, Miss Frostborn," he told her, as they walked down the corridor. "I see the College sent their best when I requested a tutor for Anna."

"I only live to serve you now, your majesty," Elsa stated, bowing in respect.

Chuckling, the king smiled at Elsa. "Oh, there's no need for that. Please, call me Adgar. I'm not one for titles much."

Elsa noted that in her head, nodding in response simply. "I'll remember in future, Adgar," she corrected herself. "But I don't know how easy it will be for me to train your daughter in the arts of my college. She seemed rather reluctant when I brought the topic up on the way here."

Adgar then sighed, looking out of a nearby window, placing his hands on the windowsill. He knew that Elsa was telling the truth and as such, deserved an explanation.

"Well, she's just been like that for a while," he told her. "A few years ago, she'd have been wide-eyed and looking for adventure, happy at the thought of being a princess... but these days, she seems to despise anything related to her royal duties, including avoiding her servants."

"Is there anything I can do to help that?" Elsa wondered.

"Well, aside from being her tutor and giving her something to focus on, I would appreciate if you tried to get to know Anna a little better," The king answered her. "She doesn't have many friends other than that Kristoff boy and she deserves to have more girls to talk to." He smiled. "She really does need a friend, Elsa, just as much as she needs a tutor."

Thinking for a moment, Elsa realised she wasn't going to be much help as a friend either. Aside from her classmates, Elsa never really had a friend either. She spent more time in her studies and spells than by socialising and making friends.

But there was a part of her that knew she had to do this. She had taken an oath to serve the kingdom and if the kingdom's best interests were that its heir have a friend, then she would gladly take up the task, no matter how impossible it seemed.

With an affirmative nod, she agreed. "Leave it to me, Adgar," she told him. "I promise you, I will be a good friend and tutor to your daughter."

The king smiled. "I never doubted that for a second."

xXx

The next morning, Elsa and Anna rode out away from the city, towards the woods where they had met the night before. Seeing as how they were already acquainted, Elsa believed they should get to Anna's tutorship as soon as possible.

Knowing it was best to practice ice magic in wide open spaces, especially for beginners to the art, Elsa had chosen to train Anna away from the city, where she hopefully wouldn't hurt anyone.

As they rode along, Anna seemed to be rather distant from Elsa. In honesty, she hadn't spoken to Elsa all morning, which slightly worried the ice mage.

"Princess?" She called to her from in front of the princess's horse. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Hm?" The strawberry blonde responded, having spaced for just a few moments. "Did you say something just then?"

"I said are you feeling alright," Elsa repeated. "You've practically been silent all morning. Is there something wrong?"

Anna sighed, stopping her horse for a second, taking a moment to breathe. "No, everything is fine," she simply told her tutor.

Elsa climbed off her horse, walking towards a small clearing. This area seemed to be perfect for Anna's training. Quiet and peaceful, far away from any roads to the city as well as any animal dwellings that would likely populate the forests.

Happy with her choice of destination, Elsa turned, smiling at Anna. "Come on, Anna. We'll hold the lesson here."

Nodding slowly, Anna climbed off her horse, keeping her hands to herself. She really didn't want to be doing this, but she couldn't let Elsa down. After all, the mage had come all this way for her.

Still sensing doubt in Anna, Elsa looked at the princess with concern. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

The princess sighed, shaking her head. "Elsa... I appreciate you coming all this way for me, but do I really need to learn magic? I mean, I already know how to use a sword anyway."

Elsa folded her arms. "Princess, there may come a time when you may not have a sword at your side and may need to defend yourself. If you learn to control the ice around you and be able to use it to your advantage, it will surely prove to be a valuable ally."

"But you're supposed to protect me, aren't you?" Anna then assumed. "One of your duties was to be my bodyguard."

"Yes, but I may not be here all the time," Elsa stated. "It was only by sheer luck that I was able to save you and your friend from those wolves last night. I'm only looking out for your best interests, Princess."

The strawberry-blonde turned away, sighing. "You sound like my father." She looked at her. "No offence."

Feeling a little disheartened, Elsa decided now would be best to ask her new pupil what these issues were all about. She cleared her throat before speaking again, choosing her words very carefully.

"Princess... what is your problem? There is clearly some issue you are dealing with. I know it is not really my position to ask, but I only wish to help you."

"My problem?" Anna remarked. "My problem is I'm tired of all this... being a princess, having these lessons, doing all this royal stuff. I want to have fun in my life. But my parents don't see it that way... they want me to have some focus in my life, but I don't want that. I want to be a normal girl."

"You have a rebellious side?"

Anna nodded. "But that's all I'm going to say on it. I'm sorry... it's a little personal."

Sighing, Elsa walked to Anna's side. She knew she couldn't assume the rest of Anna's problems, but the best thing she could be for the girl was at her side, hoping to make her happy. If Anna wanted fun, she would give her fun.

"It's alright," Elsa replied, holding out her hand. She concentrated on her palm and with a cold blue light, a small ball of ice magic appeared.

Her eyes widening, Anna gazed in awe. "Wow..."

Elsa nodded. "Beautiful isn't it?" She stated. "I can do so much with it. Make weapons, create ice slides."

"Can you make snowmen?"

The mage looked at her pupil a little confused. "Excuse me?"

"A snowman," Anna repeated. "Could you make snowmen with this?"

"Well... I..." Elsa excused. "I've never really gotten around to trying it. I was more concerned with the actual spells rather than what I did with them."

Anna's eyes widened and she started giggling delightfully. She laughed heartily and patted Elsa's back. For someone who was supposed to be an ice mage, Elsa didn't have much in terms of fun.

The blonde mage was very confused by her pupils giggling, having not expected the girl who had been a downer all morning to suddenly burst into laughter.

"A-Anna?" Elsa spoke up.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Anna stopped her laughter for just a second. "It's just I'm surprised. You have wicked ice magic and you've never made a snowman."

"I'm not exactly a fun sort of girl," Elsa remarked. "I take my magic very seriously, as should you, my dear Princess."

Suddenly, an idea came into Anna's head. She knew of a way she could go through this tutoring and being able to have fun at the same time.

"I've got an idea," she spoke. "I'll let you teach me your ice magic, if... we build a snowman afterwards." She then grinned, proud of that little ultimatum.

Elsa sighed. If this was going to be the only way the princess would be happy, she would do it. "Fine... you win," she agreed. "But magic first, okay?"

"Sounds good," Anna chirped, brightly skipping to the centre of the clearing. "So teach, what's my first lesson?"

Creating small mounds of snow for herself and Anna to sit on, Elsa took her place before the princess. While her friend Jack's advice had proven wrong so far, Elsa knew that this endeavour was going to be rather hard on her. But when she looked at Anna, seeing her bright-eyed optimism now that she had seen the light, the ice mage knew this wouldn't be so bad.

Perhaps this would be the start of a beautiful friendship after all.

xXx

 **Author's note:** Here's another fic I wrote a while ago. I think it's got potential as well to be a good few extra chapters. Hope you all agree :3


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